Announcing the newest position on The Fictional Café: the Writer-in-Residence. Our Editorial Team has awarded this role to longtime FC contributor Derrick R. Lafayette. Following a wonderful year of our first Poet-in-Residence, awarded to Mbizo Chirasha, we decided to expand upon this idea by adding a prose writer. Each Residency lasts two years. This staggering allows our members to greet a new face each year and allows us two full years of sharing each Resident’s work.
As our Writer-in-Residence for 2021-2022, we will be publishing some of Derrick’s short stories, novel excerpts and perhaps some essays as well. He’s been featured on our site several times over the last three years. Each time, we’ve been impressed by his growth as well as his ability to create engrossing tales using both unique storylines and moments from everyday life.
We hope you’ll enjoy reading his fiction and getting to know him over the course of his tenure as Writer-in-Residence. I’d like to share a few words from Derrick himself to mark this occasion. If you’re interested in reading more of his work, please click the links at the bottom.
“My earliest dream was to go to the Sundance Institute. I started out writing screenplays. I wrote, acted, and helped film about four projects before the constant notes began to annoy me. So, I decided to try my hand at fiction writing. Unbeknownst to me, my first attempt ended up being about 70 pages of my first novel. After that, I began to write short stories more seriously and submitting. I found the grind to be competitive, exhausting, and rewarding. I never looked back. When I’m not working as an IT Engineer or studying chess gambits on the astral plane, I’m reading or writing profusely.”
Short stories by Derrick R. Lafayette:
The Oddity of Jo Bobby and the Seven Doors
Lester and the mysteries of Wax and Wane
Novels:
Ashovania’s Demon
Welcome aboard, Derrick! I still smile when I recall reading your first submission, “Jo Bobby and the Seven Doors.” I’m so happy and proud to know you’ll be working with us to grow your craft and the Fictional Cafe community.
Cant wait to get started!